Ty Yav,

chairman of the National Preah Vihear Authority, was removed by Royal

Decree Tuesday and replaced by a secretary of state from the Ministry

of Culture and Fine Arts. Chuch Phoeurn, who made strong efforts

lobbying for the listing of Preah Vihear temple as a UNESCO World

Heritage site, will succeed Ty Yav, who served as chairman for almost a

year. "I'm happy to accept [the job], as I have been working on this

issue for years," Chuch Phoeurn said Thursday.